Sign up for our mailing list Real artists creating records on their own terms
Close

Sign up for our mailing list

Press

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Islands Premiere "This Is Not A Song" Via Pitchfork

Celebrated modernist pop band Islands are debuting a song from their anticipated new album A Sleep & A Forgetting today, Monday, December 5th at Pitchfork.com. The track, "This Is Not A Song," is a remarkable work of re-imagined soul featuring a lilting heartrending chorus reminiscent of Smokey Robinson and Roy Orbison.

A Sleep & A Forgetting, in-stores this February 14th, is the follow up to Islands' critically lauded album Vapours. While the record continues the band's penchant for crafting adventuresome and infectious state of the art pop music, this time band leader Nick Thorburn has infused the songs with a personal introspection that gives the record a new and powerful emotional resonance.

"This album is far more personal than any I've made before," Thorburn explains. "I left New York and came to Los Angeles and there was this piano where I was staying. And that's where I wrote these songs. The record deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming."

The new record offers all the shimmering sonic textures and irresistible melodies that have come to define Islands enduring appeal, but there is a deeply personal cathartic undercurrent to the songs, transforming personal unrest into affecting and soulful pop music.

To listen to "This Is Not A Song" by Islands, just go to Pitchfork.

Islands' artist page

Browse by Artist

2390All Artists 67Mavis Staples 57Neko Case 56Dr. Dog 55The Milk Carton Kids 52Son Little 51Sean Rowe 50Tinariwen
44Glen Hansard 43Lost In The Trees 41Andy Shauf 37Saintseneca 36Delicate Steve 33Michael Franti and Spe... 33Galactic 32Xenia Rubinos 31Jolie Holland 30The Drums 30Calexico 28Doe Paoro 28Tom Waits 28William Elliott Whitmo... 27Yves Jarvis 27Man Man 27Madi Diaz 26Girlpool 26Christian Lee Hutson 26Half Waif 25Bettye LaVette 23The Antlers 23Christopher Paul Stell... 23Jason Lytle 22Cass McCombs 22Gary V 22Booker T. Jones 22Sage Francis 21Japandroids 21Danny Elfman 21Islands 21Lido Pimienta 20Daniel Lanois 20DeVotchKa 20Leyla McCalla 20Jeremy Ivey 19Combo Chimbita 19M. Ward 19Purr 19The Dream Syndicate 18So Much Light 18Wilco 18Joe Henry 17Jade Jackson 17Moor Mother 17Grinderman 17Tim Fite 17Darrin Bradbury 16Peter Silberman 16Porter Wagoner 16High Pulp 15Glitterer 15Alfa Mist 15Yann Tiersen 14John K. Samson 13Busdriver 13Rain Machine 13Ben Harper 13The Coup 13MJ Lenderman 12Deafheaven 12Hey, King! 12Josiah Johnson 12Richard Reed Parry 12The Melodic 11Keaton Henson 11Beth Orton 11Rafiq Bhatia 11Bonny Doon 11Kelly Hogan 11Curtis Harding 11Ryan Pollie 10Os Mutantes 10Wynonna 10Katy Kirby 10Xavier Rudd 10Ben Harper and Charlie... 10Dead Man's Bones 10Bob Mould 10Beat Connection 10Fleet Foxes 10Roky Erickson 10Slow Pulp 10Jasmyn 9Ezra Furman 9Cameron Avery 9Waxahatchee 9The Tallest Man On Ear... 9James Brandon Lewis 9Kate Davis 9Kate Bush 9Marketa Irglova 9The Locust 9Mose Allison 8Art Moore 8The Frames 8Kristine Leschper 8Greg Graffin 8Deradoorian 8A Girl Called Eddy 7Alec Ounsworth 7sunking 7Solillaquists of Sound 7Scott McMicken and THE... 7The Field 7Foxwarren 6Sparklehorse 6Marc Ribot 6Kronos Quartet with Br... 6The Good Ones 6Ramblin Jack Elliott 6Broken Twin 6N.A.S.A. 6Pete Philly & Perquisi... 6Pops Staples 5The Swell Season 5Jackson+Sellers 5Mothers 5Walter Wolfman Washing... 5Cadence Weapon 5The Weakerthans 5Tweedy 5Plains 4Antibalas 4Arc Iris 4Muggs 4case/lang/veirs 4Petra Haden 4One Day As A Lion 4Eddie Izzard 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 3Danny Cohen 3Simian Mobile Disco 3Marianne Faithfull 3Sam Akpro 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3The Book Of Knots 2Savath & Savalas 2Lyrics Born 2Title Fight 2Various Artists: RANGO 2Chuck E. Weiss 2Blackalicious 2Spoon (Europe only) 2Screaming Lights (Euro... 2Billy Bragg 2Jeff Tweedy 1Taylor Vick 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Nick Cave & The Bad Se... 1Solomon Burke 1Rogue's Gallery
See Full List+